A thrilling game with a Hollywood finish. Game 1 of the Yankees-Dodgers matchup certainly did not disappoint.
Freddie Freeman hit the first-ever game-ending grand slam in World Series history with two outs in the 10th inning, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-3 win over the New York Yankees in a dramatic opener on Friday.
“Might be the greatest baseball moment I’ve ever witnessed, and I’ve witnessed some great ones,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said in amazement.
Despite struggling with a badly sprained right ankle, Freeman homered on the first pitch he faced—a 92 mph inside fastball from Nestor Cortes—and raised his bat high as he began his home run trot while the crowd of 52,394 erupted in cheers.
“I cannot believe what just happened,” Roberts said. “That’s what makes the Fall Classic a classic, right, because the stars come out and superstars make big plays, get big hits, in the biggest of moments. … I’m speechless right now.”
This moment was reminiscent of Kirk Gibson’s famous home run, which helped Los Angeles beat the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series at Dodger Stadium.
It is one of the most memorable moments in baseball history. Gibson, who was injured, came off the bench and hit against Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley. “I played the whole game, though,” Freeman joked.
Freeman, an eight-time All-Star, missed three games during the National League playoffs due to his injured ankle and hadn’t recorded an extra-base hit this postseason until he hit a triple in the first inning on Friday.
“Actually felt pretty good,” Freeman said, sharing that he donated his game spikes to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. “The last six days we treated it really well. I’ve been feeling pretty good. Right when I ran out to give high-fives to my teammates, I felt pretty good, because that was the first time I ran all week. So, ankle’s good.”
After his home run, Freeman rushed to his father. “I was just screaming in his face. I’m sorry, dad,” Freeman said, laughing. “He’s been there since I was a little boy, throwing batting practice to me every day. So this is a moment, it’s my dad’s moment.”
Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer for New York in this much-anticipated, star-studded matchup between two of baseball’s most famous franchises—the third consecutive World Series opener to go into extra innings.
“You can’t sit here and mope. You can’t sit here and complain. You can’t shoulda, coulda, woulda,” Yankees star Aaron Judge said. “It’s time to go to work. We lost this game. Learn from it. See where we can improve and go out there and win the next one.”
In the top of the 10th, Anthony Volpe hit a ground ball to shortstop, which scored Jazz Chisholm Jr. from third after he had stolen two bases, giving New York a 3-2 lead.
The quick Chisholm hit a single off winning pitcher Blake Treinen and then stole second base. After the Yankees intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo, Chisholm stole third base without a throw because Treinen was slow to pitch with Max Muncy playing far back at third.
Tommy Edman made a diving stop to his left on Volpe’s ground ball but couldn’t get it out of his glove right away. He threw to second to get Rizzo out while Chisholm raced home with the go-ahead run. But the Dodgers were not finished yet.
Gavin Lux walked against losing pitcher Jake Cousins with one out in the bottom of the 10th and advanced to second on Edman’s infield single. Defensive replacement Oswaldo Cabrera managed to knock down the ball with his glove, but it rolled into the outfield.
This set the stage for star hitter Shohei Ohtani, who bats left-handed. Yankees manager Aaron Boone called on Cortes from the bullpen, a left-handed starter who hadn’t pitched since September 18 due to an elbow injury.
After missing the AL playoffs, Cortes was added to the World Series roster on Friday. “I ran into the (batting) cage and I told the guys in the cage, this game should have been the first baseball game ever on pay-per-view,” Dodgers center fielder Kiké Hernández said.
Left fielder Alex Verdugo made a running catch in foul territory to get Ohtani out on Cortes’ first pitch. Verdugo’s momentum took him over the low retaining wall, which moved both runners up one base because it became a dead ball when Verdugo ended up in the stands.
With first base open, New York intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases and create a lefty-on-lefty matchup between Cortes and Freeman. “I was on time for the heater,” Freeman said.
His hit into the right-field pavilion excited Dodgers fans. This was the third walk-off home run in World Series history for a team that was behind, following Gibson’s homer and Joe Carter’s hit for the Toronto Blue Jays that won the 1993 World Series against Philadelphia.
“That’s stuff, you’re 5 years old in the backyard right there,” Freeman said. “That’s a dream come true, but it’s only one. We’ve got three more.”
This is the 12th time the Yankees and Dodgers have faced each other in the World Series, the most frequent matchup in major league history, but their last meeting in October was 43 years ago.
While the Dodgers are aiming for their eighth title and second in five years, the Yankees are in the Fall Classic for the first time since winning their 27th championship in 2009.
The Series opened quietly with two 50-home run hitters in Judge (58) and Ohtani (54). Gerrit Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, and Jack Flaherty pitched through four scoreless innings. Judge struck out in his first three at-bats before hitting a single off Brusdar Graterol with two outs in the seventh.
Ohtani was 0 for 3 before hitting a double off the right-field wall in the eighth. He made it to third when second baseman Gleyber Torres mishandled Juan Soto’s throw, which became important when Ohtani scored on a sacrifice fly by Betts that tied the game at 2-all.
With two outs in the ninth inning, Torres hit a long fly ball to left-center. A fan wearing a Dodgers jersey reached over the wall and caught the ball. The umpires ruled it fan interference and gave Torres a double, a decision confirmed by video replay. The fan quickly left the area.
Soto was intentionally walked, but Judge popped out against Treinen to end the inning. The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Hernández tripled past Soto in right field and scored on Will Smith’s sacrifice fly.
The Yankees quickly responded in the sixth. Soto got a single to start the inning, but Judge struck out swinging for the third time. Stanton then hit a 412-foot home run to left field off Flaherty for his 17th career postseason homer.
Stanton grew up in the nearby San Fernando Valley, close to Flaherty’s hometown of Burbank.
Stanton, named the American League Championship Series MVP, hit a knuckle curve that hung slightly in the strike zone. His sixth homer in 11 games this postseason came off his bat at 116.6 mph.
After winning the pennant against Cleveland last weekend, Stanton said, “This ain’t the trophy I want. I want the next one.”
The Yankees then loaded the bases. Chisholm singled off Anthony Banda and stole second base. After Rizzo struck out, Volpe was intentionally walked.
Austin Wells got on base with an infield single that Edman managed to stop with a dive to prevent a run before Verdugo struck out swinging against his former team.
Before the game, there was a moment of silence to honor Fernando Valenzuela, the 1981 NL Cy Young Award winner and Rookie of the Year, who passed away earlier this week at age 63.
